1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator and a lighting device therefor, and more particularly, to a refrigerator capable of enhancing an illumination effect for a dispenser, and a lighting device therefor.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, a refrigerator serves to freshly store food items for a long time by controlling a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber to maintain a low inner temperature as a refrigerant repeatedly circulates through a refrigeration cycle including compression-condensation-expansion-evaporation. The refrigerator is considered as one of necessaries.
A large type of refrigerator being currently presented out is provided with a dispenser configured to take out ice cubes or water without opening a door. The dispenser may prevent cool air inside the refrigerator from leaking out, and may enhance a user's convenience because it is able to take out ice cubes or water without opening a door.
The conventional dispenser is provided with a dispenser housing installed at a concaved front surface thereof so that a cup can be disposed at a front surface of a freezing chamber door. A guide member configured to guide ice cubes to be taken out is downwardly protruding from an upper wall surface of the dispenser housing. And, a plurality of LEDs configured to downwardly illuminate inside of the dispenser housing are installed at both sides of the periphery of the guide member, i.e., the upper wall surface of the dispenser housing where an upper end of the guide member is fixed.
In the case where a plurality of LEDs are installed at the upper wall surface of the dispenser housing, the LEDs automatically emit light to downwardly irradiate the light when being selected by a user or when the dispenser is operated. Accordingly, the light emitted from the LEDs illuminates the entire space inside the dispenser housing.
However, the conventional lighting device has the following problems.
Firstly, since the LEDs are installed at the upper wall surface of the dispenser housing to emit light to the downward direction, a use has a difficulty in recognizing the amount of ice cubes or water contained in a cup with his or her naked eyes during nighttime when an illumination effect is low. To solve this problem, the LEDs may be arranged at a position where an illumination effect is high. However, in this case, the ice cubes or water may splash to damage the lighting device.
Secondly, since the LEDs are installed at the upper wall surface of the dispenser housing, light emitted from the LEDs is irradiated onto the dispenser housing as it is. This may cause a low visual effect during the illumination.
Thirdly, since additional components for fixing the LEDs are required, the number of the entire components and the number of assembly processes are increased. This may cause high production costs.